Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

The Time Thief Audio

Not long ago, on a perfectly ordinary day, Kate Dyer and Peter Schock were transported back in time to the year 1763 by an antigravity machine. Thankfully, Kate's father comes to the rescue and he is able to use the antigravity machine to take Kate back to her time. Unfortunately, a clever criminal called the Tar Man takes Peter's place and Peter is left behind.

The Tar Man soon makes himself at home in twenty-first-century London. A young teenage girl becomes his guide, and he soon finds a way to make a very comfortable living for himself. Like Kate, the Tar Man is able to ""blur"" in and out of time. Unlike Kate, he is able to control his blurring well enough that he can back to 1763 to steal things that are highly valued in the twenty-first century.

Meanwhile Kate is happy to be home but she cannot help feeling terrible about Peter. After all, they promised one another that they would stick together no matter what. So, with the help of Peter's father, Kate goes back in time again to find Peter. What she does not know at first is that the antigravity machine has taken them back to 1792. Peter is in his ""middle years."" Can he really go back to his old time when he is older than his old mother?

In this sequel to her first story about Peter and Kate, Linda Buckley Archer takes her readers on a thrilling adventure that not only entertains but that also poses some interesting questions about time travel. Colorful characters that we can identify with give the story a compelling feel, and listeners are left wondering what is going to happen next.

Gerald Doyle's narrative is beautifully done, and listeners will soon find themselves wrapped up in the story to such a degree that they will find it hard to disconnect themselves from the adventures of Peter, Kate, and the Tar Man.